Page 48 of Dragon Detective

“Not too many. Most of my ancestors were partial to sheep.”

“Poor sheep.”

“Never doubt,” he said with a hint of grimness, “dragons have always been carnivores.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. And yes, I’ll collect your clothing shreds. Wouldn’t want to litter the beach.”

“Never.” He studied my face. “Are you ready? I’m big, and I have scales and fangs, plus a long snout, and I can breathe fire. A tail that might whip up a sandstorm if I’m pissed off, and spikes jutting down my back.”

People walking nearby on the beach were going to freak out. I might freak out, too, even though I’d know it was Reylor inside the dragon skin.

“How tall are we talking about?” I asked.

“Two, three stories.”

“As tall as my B&B.”

“Just about.”

“You need a bullhorn.”

His gaze narrowed. “Why?”

“Shouldn’t we announce you’re going to shift before you do it?”

“I usually try to do it where there’s no one around. People sometimes get upset. They scream and run and call the cops.”

“What do the cops say?”

“That I’m a dragon shifter, to leave me alone,” he said.

“That’s fair. At least they don’t call SWAT teams.”

“Not for a very long time. No pitchforks and torches either, thankfully.”

“Alright, then.” I spun around and lifted my voice, pointing to him over my shoulder. “Dragon shifter here. He’s gonna shift so don’t freak out!”

His low laugh echoed before he went silent.

A hoarse, raspy sound erupted overhead, and my blood froze.

I turned to find he’d already shifted.

While a few people cried out, and thuds told me a few were running away, I stood with my shoes embedded in the beach, my breath catching in my throat as I tried to comprehend the glorious being standing about ten feet away from me, his claws sinking into the sand. My heart slammed around behind my ribs, each heart beat reverberating through my entire body.

Reylor in dragon form stood at least two stories high, his scales shimmering with a fiery palette of orange, amber, yellow, and red. He was molten lava captured mid-flow in the setting sunlight.

Every muscle rippled beneath his luminous scales as he moved with an almost unbearable grace, and I swore the ground trembled in response to his magnificence. Goosebumps prickled across my arms despite the warmth of the fading day.

My eyes locked onto his massive wings folded along his sides that seemed both delicate and powerful at the same time. Each scale cast a tiny shadow that danced across his amazing dragon form.

I couldn't tell whether it was fear or awe sparking through my every nerve, and I decided it must be both. What dominated most was my overwhelming sense of wonder.

His eyes met mine, a deep golden hue filled with gentleness tinged with worry. Did he think I’d reject him?

Any bit of fear I might’ve felt melted away in an instant. This was Reylor, the guy I was beginning to fall in love with despite the walls I kept trying to rebuild between us. He was kind, sweet to both me and Max, and strong. A true person who didn’t hide a shady side that might whip out and bite me.

My breath quickened, almost shallow as excitement clashed with wonder inside me.

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